Vehicle trailer



` Dec. 17, 1929. 1 B, FvlsHER v 1,739,716

VEHI CLE TRAI LER Filed Oct.l 27, 1927 2 Sheetsf-Sheet l INVENTOR Q. B FL'Sh er BY G .um

ATTO R N EY Dec. 1,7, 1929. JQB, FlsHE v1,739,716

VEHICLE TRAILER Filed-oct. 27. 1927 sheets-shear 2.

FLE.

INVENTOR cf. B. Fish er ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 17,- 1929 lJOSEPH FISHER, O STRATHMORE, CALIFORNIA l "r oFFl 'VEHICLE TRAILER 'Application filed October 271927. rSerial yNo. 229,033.'

l This invention relates toimprovements in i trailers to bedrawn by motor vehicles;.my

A trailer may be kept very close to the vehicle principal objects being to provide a trailer having a draft means so arranged that the I without interfering with the turning of corners, no matter how sharp; and to'provide supporting wheels for the trailer so mounted as to enable the trailer to be backed up as easily as it can be drawn ahead. A.

In these respects my trailer, I believe, forms a radical -improvement from ordina trailers whose construction is such that they .cannot be backed up with any accuracyof direction, if at all, `and which much disposed a considerable distance behindthe hauling vehicle in order to enable suchvehicle and the trailer to turn corners without interference with each other. This latter feature is very objectionable since it necessitates the complete outfit having-aconsiderable and yawkward length, rendering the outfit hard to handle, especlally in congested traffic.

My -improved trailer may, however, be used in connection with a vehicle which it is desired to park laterally in close quarters, as

'in ashopping district, without the trailerv proj ectinginto the street an objectionable dise .3b tance if the car is parked at an angle; or requiring a very longfspace if 'parked along the curb. Also, no inconvenience is had in backing up or otherwise manipulating 'the car during or subsequent to parking operations.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed. 1

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawingsA similar characters of r reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved trailer.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the'trailer with the 'floor partly broken out to show the construction underneath.

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of a, special form of wheel-fork bearing.

-Fig. 4 isa sectional plan of the bearing taken on the line 1 -4 of Fig. 3. 4

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary front elevation c' of the wheel-fork. p v

Fig. A6 is a top plan view of the trailer hava modified wheel arrangement.

in Ieferrlng to the numerals'of reference'von the drawings and particularly at present to. the structure shown in Figures 1-5, the bed ofthe trailer comprises a rectangular frame 1, of angle or similar structural iron, which supports the Hoor 2 of suitably'laid planking. A body of anyr desired character may be erected onlthis bed which, however, forms no part of this invention. Y

= Disposed under the bed toward the rear and sidesof the same are transversely spaced wheels 3.- Each wheel is mounted in a rearwardly projecting'fork 4,. whose upper cross bar 4-a has a centrally disposed spindle 5 projecting upwardly therefrom. This spindle turns in a sleeve 6 formed with and above a disk 7 said disk tro-operating with a cup nember 8 seated onn the fork bar' 1 -zz 'centrally of the spindle. This cup is provided with an upper annular flank 9 which rides against the adjacent faceof the disk 7 An annular ball-bearing 10 is placed between the spindle and the sleeve at the top and another similar ball bearing'll lies between the spindle and a skirt 12 which depends from vthe disk 7 into the cup l8 in spaced relation to the sides thereof.

To prevent too easy turning of the fork and cup -relative to the upper disk, I provide the following arrangement: Extending upward- 1y from the fork in transversely opposed relation are extensions 13, which project through the bottom of the cup into the space between the sides thereof and skirt 12. Disposed in said space on each 'side of and abutting against the edges ofthe fork extensions are floating scgmental rings 14, which are constantly. pressed against the under Space of the u per disk 7 by springs 15. It will therefldre be seen that when the fork and cup turn, these rino's will be forced to turn therewith and said rings having frictional engagement with the upper disk they will yieldably resist such turning movement. This var rangement therefore prevents the wheel and fork from wobbling.

The upper diskis formed with forwardly projecting pads 16 on .which are rigidly secured the rear ends of draft beams 17, which` extend forwardly under the bed of the trailer to a point a short distance in front of the bed. At their forward ends said beams are pivoted on to brackets 18 which are adapted to be secured to any suitable members in the rear end of a motor vehicle, such as the rear ends of the main frames 19 of the vehicle. Adja-v cent to the forward ends of the beams, links 20 are pivoted thereon, which links extend rearwardly and upwardly to rigid connections with the trailer bed Iframe which is adjacent to the forward end thereof. j

Secured to the beams 17 a short distance ahead of the pads 16 are transversely projectas to brace the beams 17 against lateral deflecing plates 21 which form supports for the forward ends of quarter elliptic springs 22,

of common character, whose rear ends' are flexibly connected to the rear end of the frame 1 by suitablefmeans such as shackles 23. The plates 21 are connected together so tion by a cross beam 24. A similar beam 25 connects the two upper disks 7 v It will therefore be seen that the trailer, connected4 as it is to the car by the pair of transversely spaced draft beams, cannot swing to one sideor the other of the car and is held in rigid longitudinal alignment therewith. The wheels 3 being turnably mounted on the trailer, however, enables the trailer to readily /turn corners' with the vehicley and allow the same to bebackedup; the `wheels then reversing themselves'in position relative to the trailer bed as will be evident. f

The pull is taken from the beams 17 by the Y links 20 and also by the vsprings 22, which yforward slant towards its upper end when parts are connected' to opposite ends of the trailer bed. The pivotal connection of the links with the draft beams permits the rear end of the trailer fraine to develop downwardly as the springs flatten, giving such rear end the desired cushion movement; ,a similar movement being imparted to the front end of the trailer by reason of the rear springs 19-a of the vehicle to which the trailer is attached. ,j

The spindle 5 is set so\ that it has a slight `and car, without any tendency for them to wobble sideways.

.. This construction also allows the wheels,

when reversed, to clear the bed of the trailer so that the bed may be set so as to normally connected to both draft beans 17-a'. These beams then diverge toward the'frontendof the trailer at which end they are the same dis,

tance apart as the beams l17 of the rst described type. Otherwise the construction and operation of the two types of trailer arel substantially the same. From the foregoing description it will bel readily seen that I have produced such a de-I vice as substantially fulfills the objects. ofi the invention, as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as d0 not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A trailer including a bed structure, a wheel thereunder, supporting means for the wheel, a '.draftibeam connected to said supporting means and extending fzorwardly thence under the bed, a spring connected to the beam and to the bed adjacent one end of thelatter, and a linkl secured to the bed at the otherend thereof and pivoted onto the beam adjacentsaid other end of the bed.

2. A trailer including a bed structure, a

`wheel thereunder, supporting means for the wheel, a draft beam connected to said sup-` porting means and extending forwardly thence under the bed, a substantially hori zontal spring secured at one' end to the beam adjacent its rear end and extending thence to a connection with the rearsend of thebed,

and a link pivoted onto` t-he beam adjacent its forward end and secured to the forward end .of the bed.

3. Atrailer includingawheel,asupporting member therefor including a vertical spindle, aI support in which the spindle is turn- I able, a draft beam directly connected to and yextending forwardly from the spindle support, a bed structure above the beam, a quar ter-elliptic spring connected at its rear end to the bed, means for connecting the forward end of the spring to the beam adjacent the spindle support, and a rigid link between the front .end of the -bed and the beam adjacent its forward end and pivoted onto said beam.

4. A trailer including a horizontal draft beam, a wheel underk the rear endof the same, a supporting member for the wheel including an upstanding spindle, and a support in which said spindle -is turnable, rigidly7 connected to saidbeam; said support being so disposed that the spindle will normally set at an acute forward angle relative to the upper face of the beam and thesupporting member being arranged so that the spindle is substantially adjacent the normally forward edge of the Wheel whereby the diameter of said Wheel may be greater than the normal distance from the ground to the under side of the beam while still permitting the Wheel to pass under the same when the spindle turns through a half revolution from its normal position.

In testimony whereof I aix n1 signature.

JOSEPH B. ISHER. 

